Personal Life

The life story of Bruce Lee commenced in San Francisco, California on the 27th November, 1940. He, popularly known as Lee Jun Fan, was born as the fourth sibling to the Chinese father named Lee Hoi-Chuen and mother Grace who was of Chinese and German descent. During 1959, Lee was in trouble with the police for fighting and fearing lack of safety for him in the area they were living in, his mother, sent him back to the United States to reside with some friends. There, he became a graduate in high school in Edison, Washington prior to enrolling with the University of Washington for pursuing studies in philosophy. He commenced teaching martial arts there too and that was how he met his would-be wife, Linda Emery. Bruce Lee was married to Linda Emery in the year 1964 and eh couple was blessed with twin children - Brandon Lee and Shannon. Alas, his son who too an actor, got accidentally gunned down by a gun which was supposed to be empty while he was on the set of The Crow in 1993.

Bruce Lee’s father was an opera singer in Hong Kong and was on tour to San Francisco when he was born, and thus Lee became a U.S. citizen. Three months thereafter, the family returned to Hong Kong, which was conquered by the Japanese during that time. At the age of 12, he got into a high school called La Salle College and later, he took education at another high school St. Francis Xavier’s College.

Bruce Lee with Kung Fu Background

Lee’s first martial arts instructor was his father, Lee Hoi-Cheun who taught the Wu style of Tai Chi Chuan to him in the initial stage. After handling a Hong Kong street gang of 1954, Lee perceived the need to progress his fighting. He thus started pursuing Wing Chun Gung Fu under the guidance of Sifu Yip Man and simultaneously, Lee trained a Yip’s top student, Wong Shun-Leung with Wong acquiring a major impact on his training. Lee, until he was 18, studied under Yip Man. Due to his blended descent, certain students had reservations to work with Lee and hence Yip man occasionally trained Lee in private.

Bruce Lee’s advancement in Martial Arts

Many people did not realize the diversity of Lee’s martial arts background. Further than Kung Fu, Lee got trained in western boxing too winning the 1958 boxing championship against Gary Elms by knockout in the third round. Peter Lee, his brother, was a champion in the sport imparted fencing techniques to Bruce Lee. This diverse milieu led to personal adaptations to Wing Chun Gung Fu, calling his newer version of the style, Jun Fan Gung Fu. In fact, Lee launched his maiden martial arts school in Seattle under the name, Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute.

After  contesting against Wong Jack Man, Lee concluded to have failed to live up to his potential due to the rigidity of practices of Wing Chun. Thus, he started formulating a practical martial arts style for street fighting and was present beyond the strictures besides constraints of other martial arts styles. To put it in different sense, the task which worked prevailed while what did not work went did not and this way, Jeet Kune Do was born in 1965. Lee launched two additional schools after shifting to California, certifying only three instructors in the art - Taky Kimura, James Yimm Lee, and Dan Inosanto.

Initial Career in Acting and Revisit to America

At three months of age, Bruce Lee appeared his first film acting as a standby for an American baby in Golden Gate Girl wherein, he made about 20 appearances as a child actor in the films. Bruce Lee made certain headlines as an actor in the American television series, The Green Hornet, which went live telecast during 1966-67 wherein he served as the Hornet’s sidekick, Kato showing off his film-friendly fighting style. Still with extra appearances, the acting stereotypes proved great obstacles and prompted him to come back to Hong Kong during 1971 where Lee became a big film star, acting in movies like Fists of Fury, The Chinese Connection, and Way of the Dragon.

Died as an American Star

At his age of 32, Bruce Lee died on July 20, 1973 at Hong Kong and the official cause for his death was a brain edema resulted by the effect of a prescribed painkiller he used to consume for obtaining relief from a back injury. A storm swelled against his demise since Lee was obsessed with the notion that he might face premature death leaving many to wonder if he had been killed. A month past Lee’s death in the United States, the film Enter the Dragon was released in the U.S., finally grossing over $200 million.